Tips for Using Your Holidays Wisely
The holiday season is upon us, which at NYU Steinhardt also means that our master's and advanced certificate application deadlines have almost arrived!
Have you submitted your application for graduate study yet? If not, consider making the most of your holidays by preparing the materials required. Here are our top 10 tips to help you move yourself closer to making grad school a reality.
1) Your first stop: review our Graduate Application Guide to learn about the specific application requirements and deadlines for your program of interest, along with more details about how to complete and submit your application.
2) Start an online application for graduate study. Our application is a self managed one, meaning that the majority of your application materials will be submitted in this online system.
Should you require technical assistance with the online application, please contact our vendor, Embark, by clicking on the "Help" link in the upper right corner of the application window or by sending an email to support@embark.com.
3) Develop your statement of purpose. The statement of purpose is a double-spaced, two- to three-page statement explaining your purpose in undertaking graduate study in your particular program. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself and to inform the Admissions Committee about your goals, interests, and career plans as they relate to your intended academic pursuits.
4) Decide who you'd like to be your recommenders and be sure to give them enough time to write your recommendation. Letters of recommendation are required for many but not all Steinhardt programs.
5) Prepare your resume or curriculum vitae, required for all master's and advanced certificate programs.
6) Prepare any supplemental application materials. Some -- but not all -- departments and programs require additional materials, such as special departmental applications, expanded personal statements, supplemental essays, or writing samples, considered in addition to the general school application. If your program requires any supplemental materials, they will be listed in the Graduate Application Guide.
Many of our Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions programs require a live audition, video recording, or portfolio of work. Review these requirements.
Our Art Education, Art Therapy, and Studio Art programs require a portfolio of work. See the Graduate Application Guide for more details.
7) Upload your materials to the online application system, and pay the application fee. Don't forget to click the SUBMIT button. You will be prompted to pay the application fee by major credit card and will then see a confirmation screen and receive a confirmation email. We ask you print out the confirmation screen and email for your records. If you do not see the confirmation screen and receive the confirmation email, your application has not been submitted.
8) If applicable, request that ETS send your GRE and/or TOEFL scores to our School using institution code 2556 (a department code is not required). Official scores must be on file by the application deadline. See the Graduate Application Guide to confirm the test scores that are required for your program.
9) If you must submit hard copy items to Graduate Admissions, they must be received by the deadline. We ask that you submit all items together in one envelope with a Document Cover Sheet to the Office of Graduate Admissions. These documents must arrive by 5:00 p.m. EST on the application deadline day. Our mailing address is: Office of Graduate Admissions, NYU Steinhardt, 82 Washington Square East, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10003. We will inform you if something is missing from your application and we kindly request your patience as we process the many materials we receive.
10) Explore financial aid opportunities. If you are a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S., you will be considered for need- and merit-based school scholarships if you complete your financial aid application by the February 1 deadline. Submitting your financial aid application by the deadline pays off! Last year, over 85% of our full-time master’s and advanced certificate students who completed the financial aid application on time were awarded a school scholarship. We also consider part-time students for scholarship awards. Take the time to apply for financial aid – it’s worth it!
To apply for financial aid, you must complete the 2012-2013 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which becomes available on January 1, 2012. You will need access to your financial information from 2011, including W-2 forms, tax returns, and current bank statements. The University's institution code is 002785. The FAFSA should take less than one hour to complete, provided you have assembled your financial information in advance.
Several NYU Steinhardt scholarship programs also require a separate application. Visit the Financial Aid section of our website for a full list of scholarships with more details and deadlines.
Please note: Applicants who are not American citizens or permanent residents are unfortunately not eligible to receive scholarship consideration
from Steinhardt for master's or advanced certificate study. However, we
encourage all international students to seek external funding sources
through their government and through other funding agencies. The
following resources may be helpful in your search:
FinAid.org
The Foundation Center
International Education Financial Aid
Institute for International Education: Funding for U.S. Study
U.S. Department of State: educationUSA
Questions? The Office of Graduate Admissions reopens after the holidays on Wednesday, January 4, 2012. Feel free to contact us at 212 998 5030 or steinhardt.gradadmissions@nyu.edu. You can also attend a Graduate Admissions online chat on Tuesday, January 17 or Monday, January 30 at 2pm EST.